Thornberry: Netanyahu broke Gaza truce to avoid corruption trial

Emily Thornberry, chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee, has condemned the Israeli ambassador and the Israeli government for refusing to honour the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Thornberry explained her staunch opinion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed the war on Gaza because he is “clinging on to power by his fingernails,” per Middle East Eye.

This strong stance against Israel has come in response to an interview by the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, who spoke in an interview on the 20th of March about Israel having “no other choice” but to resume its attack on Gaza.

Hotovely in the Sky interview affirmed the notion that the attacks in Gaza must continue because “Hamas breached the ceasefire.”

Emily Thornberry discussed these remarks, reiterating the point that “many people in the international community” believed the deal was ready last summer.

Thornberry has gone on to explain that it is indeed Israel’s treatment of the deal which has caused the situation of attacks returning to Gaza.

The deal which was supposed to be implemented was split into phases.

Phase one was to see Hamas release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees going the other way.

Phase two would then see Israel withdraw from Gaza and negotiations over the area would begin.

Yet Israel unilaterally refused to advance beyond phase one, insisting on continuing hostage exchanges while avoiding discussions about Gaza’s future governance and Israeli withdrawal.

“The reason for that is because Netanyahu is clinging on to power by his fingernails,” said Thornberry.

Emily Thornberry has argued in her Sky News interview that with a sea of court cases and lawsuits coming his way, the Israeli prime minister is doing anything he can to cling onto power and avoid repercussions for his actions in Gaza, which many believe have are breaking humanitarian law.

This take by Thornberry goes against the rhetoric which we have seen from the government recently, who have refused to apply trade sanctions and apply appropriate pressure to halt the war in Gaza.

Yet even though Thornberry has criticised the Israeli PM and ambassador, on an LBC show on the morning of 18th of March she refused to agree with many people’s call for action, following a clear party line which Starmer has set.

“Will sanctions make them stop?” Thornberry questioned, revealing the limits of her criticism despite her strong words against Netanyahu.

This pattern of verbal criticism without concrete action reflects a wider tension within the Labour government.

Just this week, on the 17th of March, Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated in the House of Commons that Israel’s blockade on Gaza was “a breach of international law,” only to later retract and downgrade his assessment to a “risk” of breach after apparent pressure from Prime Minister Starmer.

Thornberry’s approach mirrors Lammy’s retreat – offering pointed criticism of Israeli leadership while carefully avoiding calls for sanctions or other tangible consequences.

Both senior Labour figures appear constrained by the government’s reluctance to move beyond rhetorical disapproval to substantive action.

The contrast between Thornberry’s frank assessment of Netanyahu’s motives and her hesitance to support punitive measures suggests a government divided between its members’ convictions and its official policy.

Her willingness to directly challenge the Israeli ambassador may signal growing internal pressure within Labour to take a firmer stance on Gaza, even as the party leadership continues to resist calls for stronger action.

The Middle East Eye, Sky News, LBC